Yarn-feed mechanism for knitting-machines



E. SCANLIN ANS C, REAHL YARN FEED MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLECATIUN FILED OCT. 23, I919.

Patented Aug. 10, 1920.

EDWARD SCANLIN AND CALVIN HEATH. OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

YARN-FEED MECHANISM FOR KNITTING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 10, 1920.

Application filed October 23, 1919. Serial No. 332,581.

"1?) all whom it may concern,-

Be it known that we, Enwnlur SGANLIN and CALVIN Rm'rn, citizens of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Yarn-Feed Mechanism for Knittingphla- Fig. 3 is a detached perspective of that portion of the machine immediately involving the invention. I

The common failing of machines of the ty-pe illustrated has been the lack of precision with which the needles take up the threads in starting and in the transfer op oration. This failure of the needles to take hold of the threads on starting is the rule rather than the exception in. these machines and great care must be eiercised to pick up all. such dropped stitches in order to avoid imperfect articles. The exercise of this care entails continuous watchfulness upon the part of the operator, articularly after each fresh start and trans er, and frequent stopping of the machine is necessitated to perm it the picking up of dropped stitches, with a consequent considerable loss in time and a further loss in elficienc of operation due to the excessive strain p aced upon the operators. The object of this invention is to provide means for making the action of the needles in taking hold of the threads a positive one,'and for insuring the taking up of the thread by the proper needle at the proper time without fail.

With reference to the drawings, l'indirates the sinker cap of the machine, 2 the carrier ring, and 3 the needles. carried by the cylinder 4. Supported by the carrier ring is the anchor piece 5, which in turn carries the yarn binder wire 6.

In feeding the yarn to the needles, the thread is passed first through one of the yarn levers T, which are mounted on the carrier ring, then between the 'ncedles, and across the unchor platc I) which :forms a part of the anchor piece 5, the thread being clamped to the anchor plate 5 by the yarn hinder wire 6 which bears down 11 on it.

Fig. 1 illustrates the position 0 the yarn at the moment the machine is started and the cylinder and needles begin to revolve, the yarn or thread being indicated by the reference character 8. As the cylinder and needles revolve, the yarn, 8, is carried to the position shownin Fig. 2, and for illustrative purposes we will say that at this point in the operation the first needle, 3", comes into play to carry the thread 8 down to the point where the Jacks, 9, may take hold and retain it until the next downward move ment of the needle 3 will cause it to be thrown off. It is at this point that the stitches are usually dropped, the first needle to come into play represented in the pres out instance y the needle 3, frequently failing to take .hold of the thread which consequently slips over the to of the needle.

So far aswe are aware t ere has been until our invention, nopositivc way oi avoiding this frequent stitch drop ing. \Ve have discovered, however, that by orming a slot, 10, in the plate 5, into which the thread is carried by the revolution of the ,cylinder, as illustrated in Fig. 2, this defective action is completely remedied.

As the cm slides across the face of the plate 5, it is guided into the slot by the upturned corner, 5", of the plate. As a consequencc theyarn is carried underneath the plate 5, and this unn'lerfeeding of the yarn not only carries the thread to a lower position on the needles, but retains it in this low position, thereby allowin the needles anrextra period of time in .hich to take hold of the yarn. In other words, when the underfecding device which carries the thread farther down upon the shank of the needle is employed, the needle progresses a little further along its rotary path as well as in its downward travel before the hooked upper cnd.thereof meets the thread, and this extra progress made before the upper cnd of the needle meets the thread suffices to insure the taking hold of the yarn by the needle.

The slotted anchor plate may be made in any manner desired, nnd in the present instance we have shown the slot Formed in an independent piece, 11, which may. be at- 

